State budget proposal includes hospital assistance proviso

The State Budget proposals have been released in the House and the Senate, and numerous provisos and amendments have been added.

This week, proposals were released for the 2018 Supplemental Budgets. As anticipated, multiple changes were added in both plans that would adjust the budget to assist projects throughout Washington.

Among those changes and provisos is an amendment in the House Supplemental Operating Budget that would bring funding to Grays Harbor Community Hospital.

An option introduced late in the session as a bill sponsored by local Senators Kevin Van De Wege and Dean Takko would have given sole community hospitals in the state a higher reimbursement rate for government medical.

This bill was introduced after a session cutoff date and has not been seen in committee.

The bill was submitted in the Senate, but a version of the change was only included in the House version of the budget.

Grays Harbor Community Hospital CEO Tom Jensen spoke on what the timeline is for any possible changes.

In the supplemental budget, it appropriates funding that would increase the rates for Medicare and Medicaid paid to rural hospitals that meet certain criteria. This would increase the federal fee-for-service rate of the hospitals from 125% to 150%.

This amount would not provide 150% of the cost, but 150% of the rate paid to the hospital. As described by Grays Harbor Community Hospital staff, currently the hospital receives approximately 40% reimbursement on procedures paid for under government medical. This change could increase that to an approximate 60% reimbursement rate.